Can someone re-word this so it makes sense to me?

[waldorfknitmama]

Okay so it's me Samantha---again! With more questions about this baby hat I'm still trying to knit darn it!!! I have 5wks left b4 babe is due and I hope to finish it! The pattern is this: http://www.garnstudio.com/lang/en/vi...d_id=5&lang=us

I understand this pattern pretty well (it's taking me a while to get all the abbr. correct and to seriously figure out all the markers and such) but I got up until marker 7 in the last row, and now I'm ready to increase and decrease! It took me a while to get the hang of using a yarnover as in increase (but not creating a hole) but I can now do them easily What I'm stuck on is the wording on the decreasing part. For me a no brainer decrease would be k2tog!! But no this pattern says:

"Make all dec from RS. Dec 1 st on each side of st marker. Beg 1 st before st with marker, slip 1 st on cable needle behind piece, slip next st as if to K (st with marker), K tog next st and st from cable needle, pssp"


soooooo clearly this may be easier to explain in person so if you'd rather pass on anwsering this question I totally understand! But what I'm trying to understand is: RS= right side? Begin 1 sts before sts w/ marker? Means? I get that I have to slip a stitch on a cable needle (do I have to buy one?) what does psso mean?

Argh, sorry this is confusing me! I'm going to my local yarn shop for some anwsers on Thur, but I'd really like to figure this out b4 then!

Any advice no matter how big or small will be much appreciated!

TIA!

[MeepyCat]

PSSO = Pass slipped stitch over.

The part that confuses me is "stitch with marker." When I use markers, they go between stitches, and get slipped each row. There is never any stitch with a marker actually *in* it. So I'm going to assume that you have something like this (each V is a stitch, the line is a marker):
VVV|VVV

And that the "stitch with marker" is actually *next* to the marker. Okay?

It sounds to me like you've got a double decrease here. I don't quite know why they've chosen such a strange one, but oh well, they have.

Of the three stitches involved in this decrease, this is what you will do:
first stitch - put it on a cable needle (or see alternative options below) behind the work.
Second stitch - slip as if to knit (put the working needle in from the left, so that it twists).
Third stitch - put the the stitch from the cable needle back on the left-hand needle, and knit it together with the next stitch.
And then - on the right hand needle, pick up the stitch that you slipped, lift it over the loop from the K2tog you just did, and drop it off the needle.
On buying a cable needle - I've done cable-y things without them (I had comparatively sticky yarn, and I subbed in spare sock needles now and again). Depending on how often this decrease occurs, and how much knitting you do, a cable needle (s/b around $3) may be worth it, but that's up to you. You can, alternatively, use spare needles, whatever stitch holding devices you happen to have on hand, or if the project is large enough gauge, a pen, pencil or chopstick.

If you are very brave, and know how to pick up dropped stitches, you can just drop the stitch off the needle (behind the working yarn, in this case), slip the next stitch, and then put your dropped stitch back on the left-hand needle to knit it together with the stitch after that.

If this double decrease is too much headache, there are alternatives. You could, for example, slip the first stitch, knit the next two stitches together, and then pass the slipped stitch over. No need to worry about cable needles there.

[waldorfknitmama]

Originally Posted by MeepyCat

PSSO = Pass slipped stitch over.

The part that confuses me is "stitch with marker." When I use markers, they go between stitches, and get slipped each row. There is never any stitch with a marker actually *in* it. So I'm going to assume that you have something like this (each V is a stitch, the line is a marker):
VVV|VVV

And that the "stitch with marker" is actually *next* to the marker. Okay?

It sounds to me like you've got a double decrease here. I don't quite know why they've chosen such a strange one, but oh well, they have.

Of the three stitches involved in this decrease, this is what you will do:
first stitch - put it on a cable needle (or see alternative options below) behind the work.
Second stitch - slip as if to knit (put the working needle in from the left, so that it twists).
Third stitch - put the the stitch from the cable needle back on the left-hand needle, and knit it together with the next stitch.
And then - on the right hand needle, pick up the stitch that you slipped, lift it over the loop from the K2tog you just did, and drop it off the needle.
On buying a cable needle - I've done cable-y things without them (I had comparatively sticky yarn, and I subbed in spare sock needles now and again). Depending on how often this decrease occurs, and how much knitting you do, a cable needle (s/b around $3) may be worth it, but that's up to you. You can, alternatively, use spare needles, whatever stitch holding devices you happen to have on hand, or if the project is large enough gauge, a pen, pencil or chopstick.

If you are very brave, and know how to pick up dropped stitches, you can just drop the stitch off the needle (behind the working yarn, in this case), slip the next stitch, and then put your dropped stitch back on the left-hand needle to knit it together with the stitch after that.

If this double decrease is too much headache, there are alternatives. You could, for example, slip the first stitch, knit the next two stitches together, and then pass the slipped stitch over. No need to worry about cable needles there.

OMG okay this is getting more confusing!!! I'm going to re-read this and my pattern when kids are not as needy, but in the mean time you say this is a double decrease? In the ralvery account people gave this a 3-5 rating on difficutly!

[MeepyCat]

OMG, Im so sorry I confused you worse! This is what I get for typing late at night.

Anyway, yes, it's a double decrease. It's an interesting looking decrease, and it might be worth trying once or twice just to see if you like it, but if you don't or if it's too much trouble, there are (much) simpler ways to do a double decrease.

[benandmarensmom]

I am sure you have finished your hat by now , but this hat was my first knitting project, I wanted to do the Drops one but was terribly confused I hope pattern is more straightforward,
http://grosblog.wordpress.com/2007/0...weet-baby-cap/